SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Cal State East Bay won its final California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) series opener on Friday afternoon with a 6-0 road victory over San Francisco State. The victory clinches back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in nine years for the Pioneer softball program.

"Sierra pitched her heart out today. Our hitters did a great job of producing runs and building on the momentum of each other's at bats," praised East Bay Head Coach Barbara Pierce.

Cal State East Bay 6, S.F. State 0 – F (Game 1)
Cal State East Bay ended a scoreless series opener with four runs in the fourth inning. Kelsey LaVaute drove in the eventual game-winning run with a one-out double. Two batters later Lauren Vestal brought home LaVaute, and Gabby Gonzalez capped off the inning with a two-run double.

Gonzalez finished 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI following her sixth inning base hit to put the Pioneers ahead 5-0. LaVaute, Vestal, and Gonzalez combined to go 5-for-11, drive in all six runs, and scored three of the six runs themselves.

The offensive support was plentiful for Cal State East Bay starting pitcher Sierra Clark. She tossed six shutout innings, struck out three Gators, and gave up just three hits (all singles) to pick up her 13th win of the season. Pitcher Jordan Abel tossed a 1-2-3 seventh inning to complete the shutout.

Clark retired 13 of the first 14 batters she faced, and did not allow a San Francisco State base runner to reach second base until the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs.

Courtney Gravel, Sara Higa, and Marisa Andrade each singled for the Gators. SFSU pitcher Megan Clark suffered the loss after giving up four runs on eight hits in 3.2 innings.

Cal State East Bay 10, S.F. State 8 – F/13 (Game 2)
Cal State East Bay erased a pair of three run deficits with the first coming after the Gators put up three runs over the opening two innings. SFSU's Aryn Guzman hit a 2-run homer in the second to put the home side ahead 3-0.

A Jaynie MacDonald 2-run double in the third and a successful suicide squeeze bunt from Cassie Vela in the fourth brought East Bay even with S.F. State. However the Pioneers would trail 6-3 heading into the top of the seventh following a 3-run blast from SFSU's Chelsea Brent.

In the top of the seventh the Pioneers were down to their final strike before extending the game further. Gonzalez's two-out single on a 1-and-2 pitch moved the line, and MacDonald walked with a full count to bring the game-tying run to the plate.

LaVaute fouled off back-to-back pitches before depositing the 2-and-2 pitch over the wall in left field to tie the game 6-6. East Bay's Clark, who tossed six innings to start game one, came on in relief in the seventh of game two and retired the side in order to force extra innings.

It was CSUEB's Clark and SFSU's Courtney Dunkel putting up zeroes on the scoreboard for their respective squads. The host Gators looked to have the game in hand after putting runners on the corners with no outs in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Clark forced to lineouts before issuing a walk to load the bases. She then forced a routine infield ground ball to once again give the Pioneers new life in the Friday finale.

The top of the 13th inning saw the Pioneer offense score four runs with two outs. RBI singles from MacDonald and LaVaute, followed by a 2-run homer from Ali Cerminara put East Bay out front 10-6.

S.F. State responded in their half of the 13th as the first three batters reached base courtesy of hits. However the Pioneer defense, which leads NCAA Division II in double plays turned, forced a timely double play to clear the bases and put Clark only one out away from victory with the tying run on deck.

On the day Clark threw 13 innings, allowed nine hits, and two runs while throwing 169 pitches. Dunkel threw five shutout innings before finding trouble in the 13th.

The 1-4 hitters of Gonzalez, MacDonald, LaVaute, and Cerminara combined for nine of the team's 14 hits and drove in nine of the team's 10 runs in the win. Cassie Vela and Nikki Foster had two hits apiece and round out a group of six different Pioneers with multiple hits.

Cal State East Bay (27-22, 15-19 CCAA) will play its final two games of the regular season at S.F. State (11-39, 6-28 CCAA) on Saturday, April 25, starting at 11 a.m.